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"Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have done their very best to convince the Irish people childcare, which costs the same as a second mortgage, or rent, which is more expensive now than at any point in the history of the State, is normal.

"At this time of year we all notice that chill in the air again. Like clockwork, this is to be expected.

"But for another consecutive year the cost of your energy bills are set to rise. Like clockwork, this too is now the norm.

"More bills, and not enough wages to meet them.

"When you work tirelessly for your family each week, is it right that you have to worry if your wages each month can pay for another doctor’s visit, a trip to the mechanics, or to bring the kids for a family day out?

Sinn Fein Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty during the party's final press conference of the general election campaign at the National Gallery, Dublin. (Image: Collins Photo Agency)

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"So Sinn Fein asks – why? Why does this State have some of the highest basic living costs in the world?

"Why is it 25% on average more expensive to live in Ireland than on the European continent? What do you have to show for a growing economy?

"The Budget is nothing more than a set of choices, and each year Sinn Fein lay out our fully-costed set of choices to the Irish people.

"So we must examine some of the choices made by Fine Gael, in cahoots with Fianna Fail, for what will soon be three budgets together. What have they done with the growth you’ve returned to our economy?

"Together they are squandering hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ money in tax breaks to banks and some of the wealthiest corporations on earth.

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"This weekend is the anniversary of the bank guarantee, when Irish people bailed out the bankers that crashed our economy.

"And ten years on Fine Gael are telling them they don’t have to pay a penny in corporate tax, for the next 20 years in some cases – even as some banks are pocketing profits of over €1billion.

"No Minister for Finance can stand over these choices, and Sinn Fein would put a stop to them.

""In our Alternative Budget we are using this money, among other tax measures, to give you a tax break matching the cost of exactly one month of your rent.

"We will invest to halve the cost of your childcare. We will give more support to ordinary people by increasing weekly social welfare payments by €5, with more increases for working families in difficulty, and struggling one-parent families.

"We’re investing €1billion more than the Government to double their output of social and affordable housing in 2019.